Ethiopia’s peace agreement in Tigray had held for four years after ending a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands. On 23 September 2026, the region’s government said that settlement had been shattered, announcing that its fighters had entered a defensive war against federal troops.
The statement followed a major offensive by Tigrayan forces against the federal government. Fighters seized control of federally controlled airports in Tigray, including the region’s main airport. Tigrayan forces also attacked federal positions in the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, leads the regional administration. It said its actions responded to an “intensification of the invasion conducted through various methods” by the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed against the people of Tigray. The federal government gave no immediate comment on the fighting or the regional administration’s declaration.
On Sunday, the TPLF announced an alliance with six other armed groups from across Ethiopia. The group said the alliance was intended to overthrow Abiy’s government. The identities of the six groups were not provided in the information available.
Tigray was devastated by a civil war that began in 2020 between the TPLF and federal forces. The Pretoria Agreement, signed in November 2022 and brokered by the African Union, brought that conflict to an end. The war was among the century’s deadliest, with hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the African Union Commission, urged the warring parties to de-escalate tensions immediately and begin direct talks. It was unclear whether talks were planned or under way.
The US ambassador to Ethiopia, Ervin J. Massinga, accused the TPLF leadership of “engaging in an unwinnable fight”. The US State Department imposed sanctions on the TPLF leadership in June.
No casualty figures from the current fighting have been given. Details of the federal military response, the capabilities of either side and the likely duration of the conflict also remain unknown.
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